Finland’s party-loving PM Sanna Marin, 37, announces she is divorcing her husband after 19 years together
Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin today announced she is divorcing her husband Markus Raikkonen after 19 years together.
Marin and Raikkonen, both 37, share a five-year-old daughter Emma Amalia Marin and were married nearly three years ago in August 2020.
But the couple, who had been together since they were 18-years-old, today announced they had filed for divorce.
‘Together we’ve filed for divorce. We’re grateful for the 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,’ Marin wrote on Instagram.
‘We’re still best friends, close to each other and loving parents. Going forward we will still spend time together as a family and with each other. We wish you will respect our privacy. We won’t comment further on this.’
Marin, who is stepping down as Prime Minister after her election defeat last month, has been embroiled in a series of scandals over her partying during her time in office.
Finland ‘s Prime Minister Sanna Marin today announced she is divorcing her husband Markus Raikkonen after 19 years together
‘Together we’ve filed for divorce. We’re grateful for the 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,’ Marin wrote on Instagram
A video of Sanna Marin caused a stir when she was seen dancing rather intimately with a stranger in club Café Klubi in August 2022
In August last year, the party-loving prime minister was secretly filmed dancing intimately with Finnish singer Olavi Uusivirta, 39, leading to him issuing a denial that they were having an affair. There is no suggestion Uusivirta is to blame for the couple’s split.
Uusivirta claimed that he and Marin were simply ‘friends’ and ‘nothing inappropriate’ had happened between them at the Helsinki nightclub.
Grainy video footage showed Marin draping her arms around the singer. Uusivirta was seen pressing his face against her neck at one point in a gesture that some in the Finnish media have claimed was a kiss.
Witnesses told Finnish media at the time that Marrin had danced with another two men in similar fashion and sat on the laps of another two during the high-spirited night out.
But Finnish singer-songwriter Uusivirta who got divorced from his wife in 2021, dismissed any suggestion that he was in a relationship with his country’s leader.
In a post on his social media accounts, he said at the time: ‘There has been speculation in the public about the quality of the relationship between me and prime minister Sanna Marin.
‘Hand on heart I can just say it like it is: we are friends and nothing inappropriate has happened. I won’t comment on the matter anymore publicly. Have a great weekend!’
Leaked video footage also showed Marin dancing provocatively with Finnish social media influencer Sabina Särkkä, 33, as they draped their arms around each other with their legs nearly touching.
Ms Marin was wearing the same white trousers and black sleeveless top in both videos suggesting they were filmed on the same night in August last year.
Further video emerged from that night showing Marin partying with celebrity friends before heading to the club. The footage featured someone shouting the words ‘flour gang’ in the background, leading to speculation that drugs might have been taken as ‘flour’ is slang for cocaine in Finland.
Not your average stuffy politician! Finnish PM Sanna Marin, 36, seen dancing wildly in leaked video leads Pride events after being raised by two mothers, posed ‘topless’ on fashion magazine cover and still goes clubbing
By Jessica Taylor for MailOnline
Sanna Marin has broken down several barriers since she became Finland’s prime minister in 2019 when she was just 34 years old.
At the time, the daughter of a female same-sex couple became the youngest world leader and the Scandinavian country’s third female prime minister.
But while Finnish opinion polls for Marin’s coalition government remain steadily positive, some people have raised questions about the mother-of-one’s ‘partying’ lifestyle.
Sanna Marin, 36, became the prime minister of Finland in 2019 when she was just 34 – and while her approval ratings are strong, people have questioned her ‘partying’ lifestyle
Marin pictured ready to party at the Flow festival in Helsinki with photographer and influencer Janita Autio – who was featured in the party video – on the latter’s Instagram account
Marin is often spotted out and about with her husband Markus Räikkönen
Marin has come under fire after a video of herself partying with around 20 other revellers surfaced, with some MPs even urging her to take a drugs test
After a video surfaced of Marin, who shares a daughter Emma Amalia Marin with her husband Markus Räikkönen, dancing with some celebrity friends while music blared in the background, the PM received criticism for her antics.
Included in the group of revellers was Finnish singer Alma and her sister Anna, rapper Petri Nygard, TV host Tinni Wikstrom, photographer and influencer Janita Autio, radio host Karoliina Tuominen, as well as MPs from her own Social Democratic party.
The video comes just eight months after Marin was forced to apologise for going out clubbing after coming into contact with a Covid-19 case.
Pictured out in Helsinki with her friends last December, she did not have her official phone on her, which was where she received the notification she needed to isolate.
Premier Sanna Marin, 36, was seen enjoying a night out at the Butchers nightclub with friends on Saturday – so much so that she did not leave until 4am
In 2020, she became the subject of controversy and was accused off posing ‘topless’ by her critics after appearing on the cover of Finnish fashion magazine Trendi wearing a black blazer without a top underneath.
The the politician’s outfit choice was branded ‘inappropriate’ by some social media users after a snap of her wearing the jacket with a deep neckline, and without a blouse underneath, was shared on the magazine’s Instagram account.
One suggested the outfit ‘eroded’ her credibility, while another commented: ‘Yeah a real role model. It would have been better in the darkest of clouds. Ridiculous that the breasts of a woman appear in two without a blouse. Someone with taste and sense of style.’
But Marin’s outraged fans were quick to show their support and rally behind her, launching the hashtag #imwithsanna and sharing photographs of themselves posed in similar ensembles to the prime minister’s.
Bild described her as ‘relaxed, modern and self-confident’ but it added that she ‘can also party’.
In 2015 Ms Marin told the Menaiset website that as a child she felt ‘invisible’ because she was unable to talk openly about her unconventional family.
Marin got married to Markus in August 2020 and posted a photo on Instagram of the pair on their wedding day
Ms Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss
Former transport minister and MP Sanna Marin is the country’s third female government leader
‘The silence was the hardest,’ she said. ‘Invisibility caused a feeling of incompetence. We were not recognised as a true family or equal with others. But I wasn’t much bullied. Even when I was little, I was very candid and stubborn. I wouldn’t have taken anything easy.’
She also admitted that she never expected to get into politics, telling the publication: ‘When I was in high school, I felt that the people who make politics are quite different and come from different backgrounds than I am. At that time, I didn’t think it was possible to get involved myself.’
Ms Marin, who spent her teenage years working in a bakery, added that her mother has always been very supportive and made her believe she could do anything she wanted.
While Marin has criticised the person who leaked the video, she is known for sharing some snippets of her personal life with the public on her Instagram account – including trips with Markus and lavish events where she shows off her glamorous side.
Earlier this summer Marin donned a sequinned dress and teamed up with photographer and influencer Janita Autio to let down their hair at the Flow Festival in Helsinki, where it’s thought she took to the stage.
She also knows how to rock a ballgown and is often pictured on the red carpet at events with Markus.
Just two months ago Marin headed up the Pride parade in Helsinki – a cause important to her after being raised by two mothers.
The mother-of-one wore a white dress with pink embroidery in an Aztec-style as she waved rainbow flags and walked through the streets of Helsinki.
However, while she certainly knows how to party, Marin used her Instagram account to set a good example during the Covid pandemic, posting photos of herself meeting friends outside while socially distanced.
She also posts about honest aspects of motherhood, sharing a photo of herself breastfeeding Emma when she was a baby.
When she is not working or out with friends, Marin has motherly duties to attend to with her daughter Emma
The mother-of-one uses her Instagram account to post photos which show an honest account of motherhood, including feeding time
Ms Marin was born in Helsinki and lived in Espoo and Pirkkala, before moving to Tampere, where she became the first person in her family to go to university. Pictured on a holiday to Italy in July 2017
In May this year, Marin visited Kyiv where she met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy while Ukraine was under attack from Russia.
She posted a photo of herself alongside the Ukrainian President on Instagram and wrote: ‘Finland and the wide international community condemn Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, which blatantly violates the UN Constitution, international law and the jointly agreed basic principles of European security.
‘We must extend support for Ukraine, while we continue to extend sanctions against Russia.’
Marin rose to the top job after she was elected as the new leader of Finland’s centre-left Social Democratic party.
Previously assuming the role of the transport minister Helsinki-born Marin narrowly beat rival Antti Lindtman to take over the role from incumbent Antti Rinne.
The mother-of-one was first elected to the City Council of Tampere in 2012 and became its chairperson in 2013 – a role she held until 2017, when she was re-elected.
In 2014 she was elected second deputy chairperson of the Social Democratic Party and in 2015 she was voted into the Parliament of Finland from the electoral district of Pirkanmaa.
During her rise to success in the political field she charted her pregnancy journey on her Instagram page, sharing selfies of her baby bump and even a candid breastfeeding shot.
She’s also shared poolside shots from a romantic holiday to Italy in July 2017, during which she and Markus travelled to Portofino, Rome, Sardinia and Veneto, and snaps from Pride events, where she showed her support for same-sex unions.
And Marin appears to have a sweet tooth, having shared fun photos of her tucking into ice cream and candy floss.
After the video of Marin’s latest party antics surfaced, an MP from the Centre Party, Marin’s coalition partner, took to Twitter urging the mother-of-one to take a drugs test.
Marin, 36, responded to the request in a press conference on Thursday morning and explained her night out had taken place at two bars before the group of around 20 friends headed to someone’s apartment.
She also agreed to take a test because she had ‘nothing to hide’.
She told reporters: ‘I haven’t used any drugs, so it’s not a problem to take a drug test, but I also think it’s quite special that something like this is required.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…
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